Simply Healthy Dinner Recipes are a Breeze with a Well-Stocked Pantry

With today's hectic urban lifestyle, working professionals often resort to fast food after a busy day at the office. It's convenient but also unhealthy. Fixing dinner shouldn't have to be a chore. Even if you're no culinary whiz, simple healthy dinner recipes are possible if you have a well-stocked pantry. The idea is to avoid the need to go grocery shopping every time you cook, because it cuts through the food preparation time.

Knowing what to keep on hand makes it easy for me to cook a delicious, nutritious meal every night of the week that doesn't involve burgers, fries, pizza or anything deep-fried. The benefits of cooking my own meal over opting for take-out are fairly obvious - I control the amount of salt, fat, sugar that goes into everything as prepackaged food items contain preservatives and additives that have no business in my food or my body. Eating real food goes a long way in improving my mealtime habits.

Still confused on what to pick at the grocery? Allow me simplify things by sharing food items that could be staples in your home. Adjust it according to your family's lifestyle and eating habits and you'll be whipping up a meal in a snap.

Flours - unbleached white, wheat, rice, cake, almond

Sugars - brown, cane or beet, powdered, turbinado or demerara

Dry Pastas - a few different shapes and sizes

Grains - couscous, rice, barley, quinoa, oats, flax, cornmeal

Oils - olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, sesame oil

Vegetables - onions, potatoes, garlic

Canned/Jarred Tomatoes - sauce, diced, stewed, paste

Spreads - peanut, almond & hazelnut butters, jam, jelly

Natural Sweeteners - honey, maple syrup, agave

Vinegars - balsamic, white, red wine, apple cider, rice wine

Specialty Sauces - hot sauce, Tabasco, oyster sauce, mirin, rice wine, soy sauce

Nuts - almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, coconut

Dried Fruit - raisins, apricots, dates, cherries, cranberries

Dried or Canned Beans- black, navy, pinto, kidney

Canned fish/seafood - tuna, salmon, clams, sardines, anchovies

Specialty Items - artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives

Herbs and Spices - oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, cumin, peppers and many more

Salts - kosher, sea salt, pickling salt, rock salt

Baking Ingredients - baking powder, baking soda, yeast, cream of tartar, chocolate

Extracts - vanilla, almond, lemon, peppermint

Beverages - coffee, tea, cocoa

You don't have to buy everything at once. The trick here is to consider the food items you eat regularly. Make a list of the foods you eat at least once a week because chances are you will need the same items when you replenish your stock. Build up your pantry gradually. Remember to also clean out your pantry occasionally and dispose of anything past its expiration period. A well-stocked pantry makes grocery shopping easier because you only need to buy perishable items (meat, vegetables and other fresh ingredients) and not every herb, sauce or condiment needed for a particular recipe you have in mind for dinner.

I cook from time to time so I'm pretty much familiar with the stuff I have in my kitchen. Mom says I make the best buffalo wing sauce while my raspberry vinaigrette dressing recipe is fast becoming a favorite at family gatherings. I've recently experimented with marinades using what I have in my pantry and I'm close to perfecting what I consider to be the best marinade for chicken. Now who says cooking is boring, huh?

I credit my love for the culinary arts in keeping me healthy all these years. I am now conscious of what I eat and even more with the food preparation. To eat healthy, I made healthy choices in what I eat all the time - meals and snacks. Eating a healthy, balanced diet provides me the necessary nutrients I need. These nutrients give me energy and keep my heart beating, my brain active, and my muscles working. And it's all thanks to my well-stocked pantry.

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Why That Bottle of Spicy Mustard Sauce Deserves a Spot in your Pantry. (Jeric James)

Mention the word mustard and the image of a deli-hotdog sandwich immediately pops up into mind. It wasn't exactly a favorite condiment in the house, no thanks to its pungent and tangy taste. But as you learn things along the way, it came to my attention that mustard seeds are known to be very healthy for the human body. Hence, the oils or sauces made from these seeds may have several therapeutic health benefits.

Gourmet mustards, as they are famously marketed, are made from the seeds of a mustard plant which is a vegetable related to broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. While there are approximately forty different varieties of mustard plants, there are three principal types commonly used for culinary purposes namely:

* Black Mustard (brassica nigra) - a round hard seed, smaller and much more pungent.
* White Mustard (brassica alba) - milder than their black counterpart, usually yellow in color, and are the ones used to make American yellow mustard.
* Brown Mustard (brassica juncea) - dark yellow in color, has a pungent acrid taste and is the type used to make Dijon mustard.

This incredible condiment can be used in its whole seed form, as a ground powder or grinding it into a smooth paste. To make flavors interesting, people came up with spices to add into its paste such as pepper, garlic, and paprika, along with a dash of salt. Research has it that there is no part of the mustard plant that cannot be utilized. Although less preferred than its most popular counterparts like ketchup, mayo and butter, the mustard has proven to be versatile in the kitchen.

Many supermarket shelves now carry lines of prepared mustard ranging from the mild yellow variety (favorite for hotdogs) to Dijon and Bordeaux mustards which derive their distinct flavors from the French wines they are made with. There are also hot mustards which are peppery and brown such as English, Dusseldorf, German and Bahamian. American horseradish mustard is also particularly spicy.

I've gathered several good reasons worth looking into why that bottled spicy mustard sauce, or any gourmet mustard for that matter, deserves a spot in your pantry for future culinary endeavors:

1. It is an excellent source of magnesium, which helps lower blood pressure and migraine attacks.
2. Its seeds contain phytonutrients that help prevent the risk of developing gastrointestinal cancer. It is also good for the overall health of the digestive tract.
3. It has the capacity to increase the body's metabolic rate that is not only beneficial for the body, but also eases the process of digestion. A good choice for condiment for weight watchers.
4. Some studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory compounds in yellow mustard are able to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
5. It is also a great source of calcium, phosphorous, manganese and iron. As such, it is a valuable source of several nutrients that are essential for a well-functioning body.

Whether it's easy healthy recipes for dinner or any meal of the day that you're preparing, including this particular ingredient should be a breeze. You can rub bottled mustard on meats before roasting, or bake some chicken breast marinated in it with white wine for some added flavor. It can also double as a dip for your favorite snacks, including vegetables and whole grain pretzels. Mustard seeds, on the other hand, are sprinkled over salads and can even be roasted on a dry skillet for nuttier texture. With a growing market for gourmet mustard these days, it's still best to exercise caution and avoid those with high preservatives and sodium content. Use it in moderation according to your taste. After all, they are meant to enhance and not overpower the flavor of your food.

Jeric James is an IT consultant in the US who loves to experiment with recipes in his kitchen during his free time. For more choices on the best bottled condiments that suit your taste buds, check out Easy Healthy Recipes for Dinner, a family-owned corporation based in Oregon.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Why That Bottle of Spicy Mustard Sauce Deserves a Spot in your Pantry. (Jeric James)

Mention the word mustard and the image of a deli-hotdog sandwich immediately pops up into mind. It wasn't exactly a favorite condiment in the house, no thanks to its pungent and tangy taste. But as you learn things along the way, it came to my attention that mustard seeds are known to be very healthy for the human body. Hence, the oils or sauces made from these seeds may have several therapeutic health benefits.

Gourmet mustards, as they are famously marketed, are made from the seeds of a mustard plant which is a vegetable related to broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. While there are approximately forty different varieties of mustard plants, there are three principal types commonly used for culinary purposes namely:

* Black Mustard (brassica nigra) - a round hard seed, smaller and much more pungent.
* White Mustard (brassica alba) - milder than their black counterpart, usually yellow in color, and are the ones used to make American yellow mustard.
* Brown Mustard (brassica juncea) - dark yellow in color, has a pungent acrid taste and is the type used to make Dijon mustard.

This incredible condiment can be used in its whole seed form, as a ground powder or grinding it into a smooth paste. To make flavors interesting, people came up with spices to add into its paste such as pepper, garlic, and paprika, along with a dash of salt. Research has it that there is no part of the mustard plant that cannot be utilized. Although less preferred than its most popular counterparts like ketchup, mayo and butter, the mustard has proven to be versatile in the kitchen.

Many supermarket shelves now carry lines of prepared mustard ranging from the mild yellow variety (favorite for hotdogs) to Dijon and Bordeaux mustards which derive their distinct flavors from the French wines they are made with. There are also hot mustards which are peppery and brown such as English, Dusseldorf, German and Bahamian. American horseradish mustard is also particularly spicy.

I've gathered several good reasons worth looking into why that bottled spicy mustard sauce, or any gourmet mustard for that matter, deserves a spot in your pantry for future culinary endeavors:

1. It is an excellent source of magnesium, which helps lower blood pressure and migraine attacks.
2. Its seeds contain phytonutrients that help prevent the risk of developing gastrointestinal cancer. It is also good for the overall health of the digestive tract.
3. It has the capacity to increase the body's metabolic rate that is not only beneficial for the body, but also eases the process of digestion. A good choice for condiment for weight watchers.
4. Some studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory compounds in yellow mustard are able to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
5. It is also a great source of calcium, phosphorous, manganese and iron. As such, it is a valuable source of several nutrients that are essential for a well-functioning body.

Whether it's easy healthy recipes for dinner or any meal of the day that you're preparing, including this particular ingredient should be a breeze. You can rub bottled mustard on meats before roasting, or bake some chicken breast marinated in it with white wine for some added flavor. It can also double as a dip for your favorite snacks, including vegetables and whole grain pretzels. Mustard seeds, on the other hand, are sprinkled over salads and can even be roasted on a dry skillet for nuttier texture. With a growing market for gourmet mustard these days, it's still best to exercise caution and avoid those with high preservatives and sodium content. Use it in moderation according to your taste. After all, they are meant to enhance and not overpower the flavor of your food.

Jeric James is an IT consultant in the US who loves to experiment with recipes in his kitchen during his free time. For more choices on the best bottled condiments that suit your taste buds, check out Easy Healthy Recipes for Dinner, a family-owned corporation based in Oregon.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad